Last weekend Minnesota United capped off their best regular season finish since joining MLS, albeit on a down note. Coming into the match with 58 points, the Loons had a chance to break 60 points for the first time in club history and finish as high as second place in the Western Conference. On the other hand LA Galaxy came into the match with the aim of just not finishing dead last in the Western Conference as part of the Galaxy’s worst ever campaign in their 30 seasons of play. At the end of the night it was the LA Galaxy coming away with three points to end their season while MNUFC enters the playoffs coming off a loss.
“I think there was a distinct difference between the first 60 minutes and the last 30 minutes, and not necessarily to do with changes from a tactical perspective or personnel, but just certainly some of the characteristics that we showed as a team that meant that in the last half an hour we were the dominant team, we had a really good number of chances and a lot of territory,” Eric Ramsay said on Minnesota’s performance against the LA Galaxy. “The root of that was some real calmness and precision around the box that we really lacked in the first half. The first half felt like we were very rushed, desperate to score off every attack that we had. And, we took chances that were less than half chances, and that meant that we ended up surrendering the ball really easily around the top of the box, as opposed to building some momentum when we weren’t able to attack quickly. So, there were definitely two distinct sides of that.”
During those first 60 minutes of play the Galaxy dominated the match in every respect. Just 12 minutes in the Galaxy’s Matheus Nascimento notched the first goal of the night on a shot from 12 yards out that bounced into goal and past Dayne St. Clair’s wide side. With the momentum and possession in their favour, the Galaxy took advantage of the situation scoring a second goal just seven minutes into the second half. Joseph Paintsil’s second chance goal, coming after he hit the far post on his first attempt, in the 52nd minute ultimately proved to be the match winner.
Following the loss and with a 1-3-1 (W-L-D) record in their last five matches, Eric Ramsay addressed the media about Minnesota’s recent performance saying, “I mean, you guys know the circumstances that we’re working with at the moment. We look very different as a team from the perspective of what we have available at the top of the pitch, and you’d be hard pushed to find a team that would deal with losing its two number nines at a crucial point of the season and comfortably waltz through the rest of the season. We’re a team, unfortunately at this point in the season, that is in transition to an extent, and we’ve got to make sure that we find some solutions to the problems that we’ve got.”
That transition is most notable up top in the striker role, with a striker not having scored since 10 August against Colorado Rapids. Shortly after that match Tani Oluwaseyi was sold to La Liga side Villarreal and new acquisition Mamadou Dieng being phased in and mainly used as a backup striker. Since joining MNUFC in August from USLC side Hartford Athletic Dieng has made four appearances for the first team. Kelvin Yeboah dealing with recent injury woes has not helped Minnesota’s lack of depth up top.
“Of course, I would love Kelvin [Yeboah] to be in great shape and to be coming into this on the back of a flurry of goals and real rhythm,” said Eric Ramsay. “But unfortunately that is not the case, and it coincided with us losing Tani [Oluwaseyi], and obviously gives the team a very different look. The nature of Kelvin’s injury and the nature of his profile as a player and explosive forward means that it’s not an injury that you can really force the recovery from.”
Minnesota United also has recently had a perceived struggle against sides playing a back four against them. While MNUFC is 1-2-2 in their last five matches against teams with a back four that time period also overlaps with the lack of production from the strikers up top, Tani being sold, and Kelvin dealing with some injury’s.
“I think with some of the struggles that we’ve had personnel-wise, the last two games have given us a real chance to look at something different, and I think largely that’s been positive. I think it’s been refreshing from a coaching perspective,” Eric Ramsay said. “It’s been good to give, and I’m sure from the players’ perspective, receive some different messages, and I’m hoping that the versatility that we’ve shown signs of building over the course of the last couple of games will stand us in good stead over the course of the playoffs.”
Next up for Minnesota United is the MLS Cup Playoffs and a best of three first round series with the Seattle Sounders. MNUFC has defeated the Sounders twice this season, earning their first ever points in Seattle in the process. The Loons will host Match 1 on Monday 27 October while one week later the Sounders will host match two. If necessary Match 3 will also be played in Minnesota on Saturday 8 November.
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